Kettledrum and tuning mechanism therefor

ABSTRACT

A kettledrum or the like incorporating a tuning mechanism whereby the timpanist may change the pitch of the drumhead over a range of at least a full octave by merely moving a foot pedal and without making any other adjustments. A linkage and counterbalancing spring means are so related to each other that the torques in opposite directions about a pivot point remain generally balanced throughout the full octave range, in order that the timpanist may achieve any desired pitch in a simple and accurate manner and without the necessity for excessive foot pressure. Friction brake means are employed to insure that the pedal will remain in any position to which it is adjusted by the timpanist, but the indicated torques are such that the amount of drag required from the friction brake is not great. Two interconnected four-bar linkages connect the foot pedal with the drumhead. One of such linkages is associated with a fine-tuning means which is readily adjustable by the timpanist without leaning over the drumhead. Such fine-tuning means complements a quick-acting master-tuning element. The linkages and associated elements are such that there is no &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;hair trigger&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; action at any portion of the scale. Instead, a reasonable degree of foot pedal pivot is required to change from any desired pitch to the pitch next higher or next lower. Means are provided to lock the foot pedal, when the instrument is not in use, in order to achieve various benefits including ease of drumhead changing.

United States Patent Rubio l KETTLEDRUM ANDITUNING MECHANISM THEREFOR72] Inventor: AlfredM. Rubio, Chicago, n.

73 Assigneei Columbia Broadcasting System, 1116.,

New York, NY.

22 Filed: May 10,1971 21 Appl.No.: 142,018

2 Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 822,542,May 7,

1969, abandoned.

[52] U.S. Cl ..84/4l9 Leedy Catalog NO. 44, Elkhart, Ind, 1939, pp. 56and 57 Oct. 31, 1972 Examiner Richard E, Wilkinson 2 AssistantExaminer-John F. Gonzales Attorney-w-Gausewitz Carr 57 ABS RACT Akettledrum or the like incorporating a tuning mechanism whereby thetimpanist may change the pitch of the drumhead over a range of at leasta full octave by merely moving a foot pedal and without making any otheradjustments. A linkage and counterbalancing springmeans are so relatedto each other that the torques in opposite directions about a pivotpoint remain generally balanced'throughout the full octave range, inorder that the timpanist may achieve any desired pitch in a simple andaccurate manner and without the necessity for excessive foot pressure.Friction brake means are employed to insure that the pedal will remainin any position to which it is adjusted by the timpanist, but theindicated torques are such that the amount of drag required from thefrictionbrake is not great. Two interconnected four-bar linkages connectthe foot pedal with the drumhead. One of such linkages is associatedwith a fine-tuning means which is readily adjustable by the timpanistwithout leaning over the drumhead. Such fine-tuning means complements aquick-acting master-tuning element. The linkages and associated elementsare such that there is no hair trigger action at any portion of thescale. Instead, a reasonable degree of foot pedal pivot is required tochange from any desired pitch to th itch next hi er or next 1 wer. Meansare rovide to lock the oot pedal, when the instrumerit is not in use, inorder to achieve various benefits including ease of drumhead changing.

32 Ch e, 9 D s in: Figures P'A'TENTEDUMI ma 3.701.834

sum 1 0F 4] IINVENTOR.

PHENTEDBBI 31 I972 SHEET 2 OF 4 INVENTOR.

.. PRTENTEDUCUHBTZ" v 3 70148 I SHEET B [If 4 I KET'ILEDRUM AN TUNINGMECHANISM I THEREFOR CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION I Thisapplication is a' continuation of patent-application Ser. No-822,542,filed'May 7, 1969, for Kertledrum and Tuning Mechanism Therefor. 1

BACKGROUND or THE INVENTION N l.,Field.of'the was...

" over a full octave rangeof drumhead pitches} generally in accordancewith, but opposite'to, the

The invention relates to the field of percussive musin 7 SUMMARY OF THEINVENTION The present invention comprises linkage means adapted to beoperated by a foot pedal in order to tune the drumhead to any desiredpitch. The linkage means has associated therewith a counterbalancingspring means adapted to generate at'orquefwhich varies torque exerted onthelinkagemeans by the drumhead, whereby only relativelysmall forces arerequired to shift the pedal. Friction brake or drag means are providedto maintain the linkage means and pedal motionless at any desired setposition over the full operating range of the instrument. ';Afine-tuning means is associated with the linkage meansin such mannerthat by adjustingonly a singleelement,-located above the pedal, thetimpanist mayachieve fine'tuning as desired.

In addition, coarse-tuningmeans are provided to per- 2,276,846, 2,729,l33; and 3,163,075. ,The disadvantages of variousones of the mechanismsdisclosed by these and other prior-art patents were very substantial,and included (among others) the following: 1

l.- Inability to change 'pitch over a full octave in response :6 merepivoting of a quick-acting and easy- I -to-use foot pedal or the like,as distinguished from some slow-acting and/or cumbersome mechanism suchas (for examplelthe hand wheel shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,070,032. i

1 2. The difficulty or impracticality of maintaining the foot pedal inthe desired position. I

3. Hair trigger" operation at oneen'd of the range of pitches, so thataslight movementof the pedal resulted in an excessive; pitch change, withconsequent difficulty of achieving the proper pitch. 1

mit the timpanist to quickly set the range prior to the beginning of anyperformance. Means are provided to lock the pedal during shipment andduring changing of the drumhead. I

Stated more specifically, the lin kage means comprises twointerconnected fourrbar linkages. The linkages are interconnected at onecommon element and alsdthrough ground (for example, the frame of the 4.Requirement for excessive pressure on the pedal or' other operatingmechanism, with accompanying fatigue on the part of the timpanist. I I

.. 5. Thenecessity for large numbers of bell cranks and other leverspositioned at various pointsnear the drum- I head, and which requiredmuch adjustment.

6. The difficulty or impossibility of achieving fine tuning of thedrumhead, at least without leaning far over the drumhead in an awkwardmanner, and thus changing the sounds being transmitted.

. 7. The .absence of a very fast-acting. and easily when the drumhead istuned to a high-pitched co'n'div operated quick-tuning means to adjustthe range of the I instrument. j

8. Theabsence of any means to lock the pedal during 9. The use. ofbalancing springs which are critical in operation and may requireadjustment by the timpanist during a musical performance, whichadjustment can not be effected without exertion of substantial effortand much inconvenience.

10. The lack of pedal feel which permits the timpanist to sense when-theapproximate pitch has been achieved.

I shipment or storage, or during changing of a drumhead. n n

i the same when the drumhead is tuned to a high-pitched pedalmechanism). A pivot point of one of the linkages may be adjusted by thefine-tuning means. The indicated common element has connected theretothe counterbalancing spring means, and the' relationships are such thatpivoting of the common element in one direction about its pivot point inresponse to the tension of the drumhead is substantially counterbalancedby the torque generated by the counterbalancing spring means and actingin the opposite direction. The friction brake means is associated withthe foot pedal to insure that it will remain at any set ofposition. j

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS I FIG. is a perspective view ing thepresent invention;.

FIG. 2 is FlG.l;,v v I FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional. view. on line 3-3of FIG. 2, and showing the pedal in an up" position C0l'-'.

responding toa relatively low-pitched tuning of the drumhead;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 but showing the pedalposition, and related link positions,

tion; I

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view showing thelinkageand foot pedalmechanism, and taken generally on line 5-5 of FIG. 3; 1

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view online 6-6 of FIG. 3; v V

' FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on line 7--7 of FIG.5; 1 In FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 8-8 of FIG.7;andM FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic showing of the linkage means and associatedelements incorporated in the preferred embodiment of the invention, andshowing condition.

of a timpani incorporata horizontal sectional view on line 2 20f I a 7DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRE EMBODIMENT A substantial number of strutsl2are connected at their lower ends to ring 11 and extend upwardlytherefrom to a bridgering 13 to support the same, the

bridge ring in turn supporting in dependent relationship the bowl 14 ofthe kettledrum. A drumhead 16 is stretched over bridge ring 13 and hasseated on the pgripheral (flesh hoop) portions thereof a counterhoop l Aplurality of-pull rods 18 extend downwardly from the counterhoop 17 to aconnector or spider 19 which is movably mounted within the base ring 11.It follows that vertical movement of the spider 19 operates through pullrods 18 and counterhoop 17 to change the tension on drumhead 16 and thustune the same so that'it will. produce differently-pitchedsounds whenstruck by conventional beaters or mallets.

For a detaileddescription of the bridge ring 13 and associated frame,pull rod and other elements, reference is made to co-pending patentapplication Ser.

.No. 823,539., now.-U.S. Pat. No. 3,608,418, for a Kettledrum, filed oneven date herewith, such application being assigned'to the assignee ofthe present invention.

The foot pedal, linkage and spring portions of the kettledrum will bereferred to as the tuning mechanism. Such mechanism is manufactured andassem bled independently of the above-specified elements of 'thekettledrum. It is thereafter connected .to spider 19 (as describedbelow) and mounted to base ring 11.

generally within housing 10.

The tuning mechanism includes a frame'21 formed shaft-37 which islocated onthe same'side of the ketby elongated parallel side platesdisposed in vertical planes, and having at the outer ends thereof footportions 22 adapted to be supported on the floor. Foot portions 22cooperate with caster assemblies 23 (FIGS. 1 and 2) to provide supportfor the kettledrum. The mounting of the frame 21 to base ring 11 may beeffectedby fasteners (not shown) extending through angle bars' 24 (FIGS.5 and 6) which are suitably secured to the sides of the vertical frameelements. The caster assemblies 23 are connected to the base ring byfasteners (not shown).

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TUNING MECHANISM A foot pedal 26 is pivotallymounted at the outer end of frame 21 for operation by the timpanist inorder to change rapidly the tuning of drumhead 16. Such foot pedal isconnected through linkage means 27 with a master pull bar 28 and thuswith spider 19, the relationship being such that pivoting of foot pedal26 effects the above-mentioned vertical actuation of the spider 19 inorder to change the drumhead tension.

Throughout the very wide operating range of the linkage means 27,corresponding to at least a fulloctave range of drumhead pitches, thedrumhead tension is substantially counterbalanced by spring means 29associated with the linkage means 27. Friction brake or drag means 31are associated with the linkage means in order to insure thatinequalities between the torque ex nally threaded end of fine-tuningshaft 37. Shaft 37 exgrasp the ring 33 to turn nut 32 and thus shiftspider 19 downwardly or upwardly relative to the master pull bar. Thisis the master or coarse? tuningadjustment of the kettledrum tuningmechanism, and is. normally not changed during any musical performancebut, instead, only infrequently. The master tuning means determines therange of pitches achieved by the drumhead in response to pivoting ofpedal 26.

A fine tuning adjustment is a feature of the present tuning mechanism,and is indicated at 34 as comprising means for shifting one of the pivotpoints of the linkage means 27 in such manner as to achieve a. verysensitive tuning of the drumhead 1 6. The'fine-tuning means 34 isoperated by turning a, wheel 36 (FIG. 1') to rotate a tledrum as is thepedal "26, so that itmay be. readily operated by the timpanist withoutmoving and without leaning over the drumhead 16 and thus changing thesound transmitted therefrom.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE TUNING MECHANISM Parallel plates 39 arerigidly secured (as by welding) in depending relationship from theunderside of foot pedal 26, and have extended therethrough and throughthe side plates of, frame 21 the horizontal pivot pin 40 about which thepedal pivots. Corresponding peripheral regions of plates 39 areconnected by a pivot pin 41 with the outer end'of a long and generallyhorizontal link 42. The inner end of such link is con- .nected by apivot pin 43 with a master link 44, the latter in turn being pivoted bya strong pin 46to the parallel sides of frame 21 as best shown in FIG.6.

The master link 44, and certain other links in linkage means 27, maybegenerally channel-sectioned, boxsectioned, etc. Suitable spacer meansare provided to maintain the proper spacing between the links and theparallel sides of frame 21.

In addition to being connected by pin 43 to link 42, master link 44 isconnected by a pivot pin 47 to a link 48 extending upwardly-to agenerally horizontal link 49. More specifically, the upper end of link48 is pivotally connected by a pin 51 with the inner end (remote fromfoot pedal 26) of link 49, whereas a midportion of such link 49ispivotally connected by a pin 52 with a yoke 53 to which the masterpull bar 28 is anchored (as by a threaded connection and set screw).

above-indicated fine-tuning means 34. Such lever is pivoted by a fulcrumpin 57 to the sides of frame 21.

The end of lever 56 toward foot pedal 26 has pivotally mounted thereinan internally threaded element 58 which threadedly receives the lowerand extertends upwardly through an opening in base ring 11 and isrotatably mountedby suitable means including collars the lower oneofwhich is indicated at 59. Such collars are fixed on shaft 37 and insurethat it may not move axially relative to base ring 11, or-relative-tobridge ring 13 (to-which the upper end of shaft 37 is rotatablyconnected). It follows that turning of shaft 37 by wheel 36 will raiseor lower the outer end of lever 56. This changesthe, verticalposition ofpivot pin 54 and thus raises or lowers yoke 53 to effect vertical shifting of master pull bar 28 for fine tuning of head 16.

Fulcrum pin 57 is locatedclose to pivot pin 54, and a long distance fromelement 58. Therefore, turning of fine-tuningwheel 36'effects only agradual movement of pin 54'and thus of the master pull bar 28: Anexceedingly precise tuning of .head 16 may thus be achieved bythetimpanist.

Proceeding next to-a description of the counter-- balancingspring means29, this is illustrated to comprise a pair (FIG. of compression springdevices con- .26,.friction elements or shoes 71 are provided in bear-;ingengagement with the outer surfaces of such plates.

' Thefacings on the friction elements 71 may be formed, .for example, ofcork or the like.'Set screws 72 (FIG. 5)

are threaded through the opposed side'plate's offrame 21 and intoengagement with intermediate portions of springs 69, beinga'djustable(by drum'keys) in-order to vary the degree of compression (and thus theamount of friction) at the'interfaces between the shoes 71 andhigh-pitch setting. The foot pressure required to achieve low-pitchdrumhead settings is far less, such as 10 pounds.Suchminimumrequirements are due to the v generalcounterbalancing actionof the spring means 29 nected between master link 44. and the verticalside 7 plates of frame '21. More, specifically, a pin 61 em-' ployed topivotally connect'the corresponding ends of the two spring devices 29 tomaster link 44, whereas stub ;shafts 62 are employed to connect theopposite ends of spring devices29 to the side plates-of frame 21.

Referring particularly to.FIG."7, only one spring device will bedescribe'd'in detail, the other one being identical thereto. Each springdevice comprises a generally helical compression spring 63 which ismounted around a rod 64 in a spring guide 65, being seated at one end ona nut 66 through which the inner end of rod 64 is threaded. The otherend of the spring is seated onthe outer end of the spring guide 65. Asshown in FIG. 8, nut 66 is square and is adapted to slide non-rotatablyalong opposed sides of spring guide 65, so that turning of the rod willeffect adjustment of the nut along the rod and thus change the degree ofcompression'ofthe spring.

Each of the above-indicated stub shafts 62 has a bore therethrough toreceive the rod. A combination stop and rod-actuating means 67 isfixedly secured to the inner rod end. Thus, turning of the actuatingmeans 67 effects rotation of the rod to shift nut 66 and thus change thedegree of spring compression. The actuating means 67 is so shaped thatit may be operated by a drum key.

Each stub shaft 62 is conically-bored and/or is compressed to aconsiderable extent.

Continuing to a description of the friction brake or drag means 31, thisis best illustrated atthe right ends of FIGS. 3-5, inclusive. Such meanscomprises a pair of elongated bent spring straps 69 the inner ends ofwhich are secured by fasteners 70 to the opposed side plates of frame21. At the outer ends of springs 69, adjacent the outersurfaces of theplates 39 which mount pedal throughout thev entire range of operation of.the'instrument, for example at leastya full octave, and asdescribedhereinafter.

Means are provided to lock the pedal 26 in the upper or'low-tensionposition .showniin FIG. 3. This insures against accidental operation ofthe pedal (to unnecessarily tension the drumhead) during shipment andstorage of theinstrument, and greatly simplifies changing of thedrumhead l6.-Such means may comprise a pivoted lock arm 74 having anotch 75 formed therein for reception of a pin 76. The pin is suitablymounted between the two plates 39. Pivoting of lock arm 74 is about ashaft 76a disposed above feet 22. The amount 7 of friction in shaft 76ais sufficient to maintain arm 74 in anyposition to which it is manuallyshifted. When the arm 74 is in the upwardly pivoted position .shown inphantom lines in FIG. 3, with the pin 76 received in notch 75, theplates39 and thus the pedal 26 may not be rotated. The entire mechanism isthus locked as desired for changing of a drumhead, or for shipment andstorage purposes. Unlocking of the instrument, prior to aperformance,-is readily effected by merely pivoting arm 74 downwardly tothe'illustrated solid-line position.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION AND THEORY RELATIVE TO THE LINKAGE MEANs'27, SPRINGMEANS 29, ETc.

The connections of the various pivot pins to master link 44 are suchthat pin 47 is far below pin 46, particularly when the linkage means 27is in the high-pitch position of FIG. 4, whereas pin 51 is above pin 46.Spring means 29 connect to-link 44 (at pin 61) adjacent the lower endthereof, preferably relatively near the pin 47. Suchspring means connectto the walls of frame 21 (at 62) in a region beneath the portion of basering 11 which is adjacent foot pedal 26. The connection of link 42 (bypin 43) to the master link 44 is relatively high, being generally at anelevation intermediate the pins 46 and 47 when the linkage is in ahigh-pitch posi- '29 substantially counter-balance each otherthroughouta wide range of pitches. The range is at least on the order ofone octave, and may be greater relative to at least some diameters ofdrumheads.

Referring first to FIG. 3, which shows the mechanism in its positioncausing relatively low-pitch tuning of the kettledrum, the clockwiseforce exerted by the drumhead 16 on master link 44 is directed along aline A which extends through pivot pins 47 and 51. The torque exerted bysuch forcealong line A has a torque armor moment arm whichisperpendicular .to line A and intersects pivot pin 46 of the master link.The

In the illustrated embodimen t,the torqueor moment arms indicated aboveare substantially equal whenthe mechanism is in the low-pitch positionof FIG. 3. However, the springs 63 in the two spring devices 29 are thenrelativelycompressed so that the spring force is great. Such springforce is then somewhat greater than the drumhead force exerted alongline A, causing master link 44 to tend topivot counterclockwise,However, the friction brake or drag means 31 are operative to preventsuch counterclockwise pivoting movement, and instead maintain the footpedal 26 in the adjusted position 'for the lowest-pitched note of thedesired range.

Referring next to FIG. 4, thetuning mechanism is illustrated in itsposition adapted to cause creation of the highest-pitched note when thedrumhead 16 is struck. The clockwise-force exerted as a result of thedrums head tensionis then directed along a line Band has a relativelyshort moment or torque arm (perpendicular to line B and intersecting pin46). The spring force is again directedalong the-springmeans 29'.throughpivots Hand 62, and has a relatively long moment or torque arm(perpendicular to the spring means and intersecting pin 46). d I

Although the torque arms described relative to FIG. 3 are (in theillustrated linkage'means' 27) approximately equal, they are far fromequal when the mechanism is in the position of FIG. 4. Instead, thetorque armof the spring means29 is a substantial number of times thetorque arm which extends from line B to pivot 46. Such substantialincrease in the torque arm from spring means 29 to pivot pin 46compensates for two factors, namely: (a) the fact that the springs 63 inspring means 29 are much less compressed in FIG. 4 than when they are inthe condition of FIG. 3, and (b) the fact that (as described below)relatively great changes in the tension on drumhead 16 are required toproduce the higher-pitched notes in the 8 a drumhead when the pedal isinthe upwardly-pivoted position of FIG. 3. I I v The clockwiseandcounterclockwise. torques about pivot pin 46 are caused to 'be'insubstantiallyperfect balance or equilibrium .when pedal 26 is in anintermediate portion of its range of movement. No friction drag or brakemeans 31 are then required in order to maintain the pedal 26stationary..In fact, it has been found that in many instances the friction of thesystem (in the absence of means3l) is sufficient to maintain pedal 26stationary at any desired position over a relatively wide range whichgenerates neither the highestpitched nor the lowest-pitched notes in theoctave. When the pedal is pivoted downwardly to the position resultingin generation of a. high-pitched note, as in FIG. 4, the torque createdby the-drumhead 16.is sufficiently great to overpower the torque ofspring means 29, so that the friction drag means 31 are required toprevent movement of pedal 26-except when intentionally effected by thetimpanist. Conversely, and as above stated, when the pedal 26 is in itsupper position,

the spring torque overpowers the drumhead torque and makes necessary thedrag means 31 in order to prevent downward pedal pivotingexcept whenintentionally effected. lt will therefore be seen that the friction dragmeans 31 operates in opposite directions, namely, to prevent upwardpivoting when pedal 26 is in its lower position, and downward pivotingwhen pedal 26 is in its upper position. Because of such use of thefriction drag means in opposite directions, the drag exerted by themeans 31 need not be great in order to cause'the desired fixing of pedal26 in any position throughout at least an octave range. Accordingly,thefoot-pressure requirements of the kettledrum are minimized.

. When the pedal 26' is in its upper position of FIG. 3 or the like, thetimpanist need only exert a very low force (for'example, 10 pounds orless) thereon in order to effectshifting to higher-pitched notes in themusical scale. I It is only when the pedal 26 is pivoted downwardlytoward the extreme end of the range of operation that the timpanist needexerthigher force in order to change from one note to the next. Suchforce is, however, less than 25 pounds in all instances. The

differences in the footpedal force permit the timpanist properpositionfor a particular pitch. In summary, the clockwise and counterclockwisetorques about pivot 46 for master link 44 are generally. in balancethroughout the entire octave range of the instrument. The word generallydenotes that such opposed torques are sufficiently close to being fullybalanced that the friction brake 31. (which doesnot produce a highdegree of, drag) will maintain pedal 26 stationary at any set positionover the entire octave range. Stated more definitely, the torques aresufficiently close to balance that the necessary foot pressure r on thepedal is less than 25 pounds throughout the full octave range. With thepresent invention, there is never a need to release any brake or lock inorder to shift from one pitch to another, and never a need to set anybrake or lock in order to remain at any pitch.

The springs 63 and drumhead l6 are both operated in their mid-ranges.Thus, when in the high-pitched position of FIG. 3, the springs 63 arenot fully compressed, nor are such springs fully extended (relaxed or 9free) when in the low-pitch positionof FIG. 4 (being insteadprenloaded-as stated above). Similarly, the drumhead 16. is undersubstantial. tension when in the lowpitch condition of FIG. 3," and isnot stretched to its elastic limit when in the high-pitch condition ofFIG. 4.

The pedal 26' need only be pivoted downwardly to (or near) the extremeposition of FIG. 4, in order to achieve at least a full octave ofoperation, for certain sizes and types of drumheads 16. For a number oftypes and sizes of drumheads, a full octave range is achieved bypivoting pedal 26 downwardly only a fraction of the distance from theFIG. 3 position to the FIG. 4 position. Thus, for example, when thediameter of the :drumhead 16 is approximately-2l inches, and thedrumhead ,16 is formed of the TypeA,Mylar synthetic resin film. setforth below, the pitch maybe changed-from B (123.47 cycles per second)to B (246.94 cps) the next octave up by pivoting only about 28 or 30downwardly from a position similar to that illustrated in FIG. 3.Thereafter, by pivoting downwardly anadditional l 19, approximately, thepitches C, C sharp, D

and D sharp may be generated octave range. r I n Thus, thehighest-pitched note in the' range depends :upon variousfactorsincludingjthe drumhead diameter,

abovethe high B in thethickness, type, etc. Nevertheless, 'in varioussizes of timpani, for example those with 20-inch, 23-inch, 26'- inch,and 29-inch bowl diameters, a full octave (or greater) rangemay beachieved by pivoting the pedal 26 downwardly from a position similar tothat of FIG. 3 to a position similar to that of FIG. 4--(or a positionthereabove f i In order to achieve the necessary general balancing oftorques throughout a range of operation of at least a full octave, sothat the pedal 26 will remain stationary at any point inthe range andwithout requiring any ad- To state more specifically the torque andtorque-arm relationships present in the illustrated linkage means 27 andspring means 29, the drumhead-related torque arm (line A or B to thecenter of pin 46) becomes shorter, by a factor or ratio of about 3 to 1,during shifting from the-FIG. 3 position to the FIG. 4 position. Duringthe same shifting from the FIG. 3 to the FIG. 4 position, the springtorque arm (the distance from a line between pins 61 and 62 to thecenter of pin 46) becomes longer, and by a factor or ratio of about I to2.

As noted above, however, the necessary amount of shifting (in order toachieve a full octave range) for at least some types and sizes ofdrumheads is less than that represented by FIG. .4, the position for thehighestpitched note in the octave range then being intermediate the FIG.3 position and, the FIG. 4 position. To achieve such intermediateposition after being in the FIG. 3 position, the above-indicateddrumhead torque arm may become shorter by a factor or ratio of about 1.5to 1. During the same shifting from the FIG. 3 position to theintermediate position, the above-indicated spring torque arm may becomelonger by a factor or whenthe mechanism is in any position producing thejustments such as in spring pressure, the force line (a line throughelements 61 and 62) of spring means 29 should not pass over or very nearthe pivot pin 46 of master link 44. Thus, even when the force linethrough pivots 61 and 62 is closest to pivot 46, in the FIG. 3.position, there is still a substantial torque-arm distance between suchforce line and pivot 46.,

If a condition were to occur when the spring force line passed over orvery near the pivot pin 46, two undesirable conditions would resultnamely: (a) the relative changes of spring torque would be so excessivethat it would not be possible or practical to achieve the full octaverange or greater without actually adjusting (changing the setting of)spring pressure at some point or points in the range of operation,and.(b) there would be a danger that the spring would (as a result ofwear) move over center and tend to create a clockwise torque asdistinguished from a counterclockwise torque. Relative to factor (a), inthe previous sentence, this would mean that a timpanist could notmaintain himself erect and continue bearing on the head 16 throughout afull octave range of operation, but instead would have to stop and stoopover to adjust springs, withgreat difficulty. Relative to factor (b),the over-center operation may in some instances be dangerous, since thepedal 26 could then remain on an on-center position until accidentallytouched when it could then (as when the head 16 is broken) snapdangerously to an extreme position.

highest-pitched note-in the octave range of operation. Stated moredefinitely, the spring torque arm is then greater than the drumheadtorque arm by a factor of about 2 or more. i

It is pointed out that certain changes may alter some of theabove-indicated ratios or factors, as distinguished from'the directionsand manners in which such factors change. For example, each of the twopresent springs63 has a spring'rate of 44'poun'ds per inch ofdeflection. The use of springs having somewhat different rates requirescorrespondingly different torque arms tocreate the same torque as thatproduced by the present springs. Similarly, the use of different typesof drumheads than are specified below may produce changes in thedrumhead forces' with corresponding requirements for changes in thedrumhead-related torque arm. Another factor relates to the direction oftaken into account when determining the torque arm relationships toachieve generally balanced torques about pin 46. I

A major defect of some foot-pedal mechanisms for tuning the heads oftimpani is that hair trigger action occurs at the lower end of the rangealthough it is very hard (and requires much force) to achieve the notesat the high end of the range (which range is much more limited than thatdescribed herein). By hair trigger action it is meant that only a veryslight movement of thepedal or other actuator is required to change fromone pitch to the next, and such movement is so slight that, it isdifficult for the timpanist to achieve the desired pitch. One reason forthis hair trigger action is that only relatively small changes indrumhead tension are required at the low end of a range, such as 30 or40 pounds pull on the master pull bar 28, in order to change from onelow-pitched tone to the next adjacent tone. On the other hand, towardthe upper end of the range the force differential which must be exertedon pull bar 28 may be very high, such as hundreds of pounds, in order tochange from one tone to the next higher tone.

In order to aid in preventing hair trigger operation of the presentlinkage system 27, the long link 42 is connected (by pin 41) to plates39in a very high mechanical-advantage position when the pedal 26 is inits upper position of FIG. 3. This is despite the fact that no high amechanical advantage is then needed since, as above noted, only a verylow force is required to pivot the pedal 26 at the low end of the range.

The radius line through pins 40 and 41 is generally horizontal whenpedal 26 is in the upper position. Thus, downward movement of pedal 26causes substantial downward movement of pin 41 but does not, initially,effect substantial movement of pin 41 (and thus of link 42) to theright. Therefore, at this low-pitch end of the range, substantial pedaltravel is required in order to shift pull bar 28 and thus increase thedrumhead tension. it follows that the notes ortones are spread out atthe low-pitch end as is des'ired in order to permit the timpanist toreadily attain the necessary tuned condition.

At the high-pitch end of the range, the radius line through pins 40 and41 (FIG. 4) approaches the vertical, which meansthat the pedal onlyexerts a relatively low mechanical advantage relative to link 42.However, this low mechanical advantage is compensated for by the factthat link 48 is then in a very high mechanicaladvantage positionrelative to master link 44. It follows that, even though the pedal doesnot then exert a high mechanical advantage on link 42, the combinedlinks 44 and 48 compensate for this and permit the highpitched notes tobe achieved without requiring an excessively high foot pressure on thepedal.

In summary, factors including the mechanical-advantage relationshipbetween link 42 and pedal plates 39 are such that the vertical travel ofpull rod 28 is very small during pivotal movement of pedal 26 when suchpedal is adjacent its position (as in FIG. 3) producing low-pitchedtones. At other portions of the range, not at the low end, a smalleramount of pedal movement is required in order to achieve a given amountof vertical shifting of pull rod 28 and thus of the counterhoop 17. Theover-all relationship between pedal 26 and pull bar 28 is generallylinear except at the indicated lower regions of the range.

The result is that a reasonable amount of pedal movement is required inorder to shift from any note in the musical scale to any adjacent notetherein, so that the timpanist achieves full control at all times. Thereis no bunching of pitches, or hair trigger operation, at any region.Relatively even increments of pedal advance are required to change fromone tone to the next.

To state the above in another manner, the linkage is so constructed andso related to the foot pedal that shifting of the foot pedal by apredetermined amount effects only a relatively small change in thetension on the drumhead when the foot pedal is in a position producingtuning of the. drumhead to a pitch near the the same predeterminedamount effects a substantially larger change in the tension on thedrumhead when the foot pedal is in a position producing a relativelyhighpitched condition in the drumhead, whereby to permit the timpanistto change to adjacent pitches throughout the entire range by shiftingthe foot pedal relatively equal amounts.

in numerous timpani widely marketed throughout the United States formany years, it wascustomary to require the use of bell cranks or otherlevers spaced about the periphery of the drumhead. These were employedin order to reduce loading and to achieve mechanical advantages. Thepresent linkage means 27 is such that no such additional bell crank orother levers are required around the drumhead, there instead beingstraight pull rods 18 which, pass directly downwardly from counterhoop17 to spider 19. H

Applicant achieves the necessary mechanical advantage, and also anextremely simple and effective finetuning function, through use of thelink 49 and the associated link 48 which connects link 49 to master link44. Referring again to FIGS. 3 and.4, it is pointed out that link 49pivots above and below the horizontal during movement of the mechanismbetween low pitch and high-pitch conditions, which means that pivotpoint 52 moves almost in a straight vertical line as is desired in orderto insure against shifting of spider 19 to an off-center position.

Since pivot pin 52 is very much closer to pivot 54 than is pin 51, asecond-class lever relationship is created whereby there is a highmechanical advantage between the movement of link 48 and that of pullrod 28. Also, as noted above, there is a high mechanical advantagebetween the movement of master link 44 and that of link 48 as themechanism approaches the higher-pitch condition (FIG. 4).

As described heretofore, the present linkage mechanism greatlysimplifiesthe achievement of highly precise fine tuning, throughoperation of wheel 36, rod

37 and lever 56, by a timpanist who need not leave his position or leanover the. drumhead 16. Thus, and although the pedal 26 has been found topermit the timpanist to achieve rapidly any pitch he desired within therange of operation, the timpanist may if he wishes utilize thefine-tuning mechanism in order to adjust the pitch by very slightamounts.

The, linkage means 27 shown in the drawings constitutes twointerconnected four-bar linkages. The first of such linkages includes afirst link (portions of plates 39) extending from pin 40 to pin 41, asecond link 42 leading to pin 43, a third link comprising the portion ofmaster link 44 which extends between pin 43 and pivot pin 46, and afourth link or ground which extends from pin 46 to pin 40 (through theframe of the apparatus). The link from pin 40 to pin 41 is the inputlink, and that from pin 43 to pin 46 is the output link.

The second of the two interconnected linkages comprises a portion ofmaster link 44 (the first link) which extends from pivot 46 to pin 47, asecond link 48 which extends from pivot 47 to pin 51, a third link 49from pivot 51 to pivot 54, and a fourth link (ground") which extendsthrough the frame of the apparatus from pin 54 to pin 46. The input linkof such second linkage is the portion of link 44 between pivots 46 and47, whereas the output is the link 49. i

The two linkage systems are interconnected in two ways, the first beingthat ,ground (the frame of the apparatus) rigidly connects pins 54, 46and 40. Secondly, the output link of the first system is fixedlyconnected to the input link of the second system due to the fact thatboth form part of the same master link 44. The pivot pin 46 is common toboth linkages.

The output link. of the second linkage connects to pin 54 which isstationary at all times except during fine tuning when rod 37 is rotatedby wheel 36. The fulcrum 57, lever 56, etc., associate pin 54 with theframe of the apparatus which-then may serve as a ground interconnectingsuch pin 54 with pin 46 as indicated above.

For a detailedillustration showing the linkage means 27 in a positionproducing a high-pitched sound, reference is made to the diagrammaticFIG. 9. The'four links in each four-bar linkage are shown in solidlines. Certain associated elements are shown in phantom.

The ground links are represented at G. The portions of master link 44are represented by 44a and 44b.

the timpanist pivots the pedal 26 upwardly to the FIG.

. 3 position and moves the arm 74 into lock position. He

The following table represents a typical set of tim I pani constructedin accordance with the present invention: I

DRUM LOADING vs. COUNTERHOOP TRAVEL Drum size 20 inch 23 inch 26 inch 29inch (bowl (soprano) (alto) (tenor) (bass) diameter) Low note B A F D(123.47 (103.82 (87.30 (73.41. cps) cps) cps) cps) High note B A" F D(246.94 (207.65 (174.61 (146.83 cps) cps) cps) cps) Counterhoop 0.1070.120 0.100 0.136 'travel inch inch inch inch Pounds pull at from 200fromfrom 240 from 160 pull bar 28 to 1300 100 to l300" to 1640 to 1440(range) Structure 0.077 0.071 0.077 0.107 ,loading inch inch 7 inch inch1 The expressions low note and high note in the above table do notnecessarily denote that this is a full range of operation, it beinginstead merely the desired range of operation. The structure loadingrepresents 'the summation of the actual flexing of the base ring 11,bridge ring 13, etc., due to the extreme loads impressed thereon. Thebridge ring 13 has an upwardly-extending smooth edge (as described inthe cited patent application over which the drumhead 16 is stretched.Because of this structure loading, the pull bar 28 moves farther thandoes the counterhoop 17.

The table represents drumheads 0.0,075 inch in thickness and formed of apolyester synthetic resin film made from polyethylene terephthalate (thepolymer formed by the condensation reaction of ethylene glycol andterephthalic acid). More specifically, the drumheads represented by theabove table were formed of Mylar" polyester resin manufactured by E. I.Du Pont de Nemours, Inc., and designated Type 'A." Other such Mylar"films may also be used, such as one made by Du Font and sold by Remo,Inc., North Hollywood, Calif, under the designation Code No. 6."

then grasps ring 33 and rotates nut 32 to its position at which it isfarthest from yoke 53 (relatively loose). As described in the citedco-pending application, the head 16 is then mounted on the upper bearingedge of the resonator ring 13, and the counterhoop 17 is disposed overthe flesh hoop which surrounds the head 16. The timpanist then insertsscrews 77 (FIG. 1) through holes in counterhoop 17, and threads suchscrews v77 downwardly into internally-threaded bores in the upper endsof pull rods 18. The screws are turned to fully seated positions, sothat the upper ends of the pull rods act as stops. I v

The timpanist then turns the coarse-tuning handle 33 to tighten the nut32 and pull downwardly on spider l9 and thus rods 18 until the drumheadl6 isapproximately the lowest-pitched condition desired. Preferably,however, thefinal stages of such tuning to the lowpitched tone are noteffected until after-the timpanist releases lock arm 74 andpivots pedal26 downwardly a slight distance (such as 1 or 2.

When the head l6 is thus tuned to its 'lowes't pitched tone, thetimpanist may turn one or more of the screws 77 backwardly a smallamount in order to insure that the pull is the same around all portionsof the counterhoop 17. g

It is then merely necessary for' the timpanist to employ his foot todepress pedal 26 and thus achieve any other desired tone in the fullrange of operation of the instrument. The pedal 26 remains in anydesired position, without foot'pressure, and without the necessity ofadjusting any springs or other devices. The amount of force requiredtopivot the pedal downwardly from its low-pitch position is initiallyvery small, and even at the maximum (when the highest-pitched notes areto be achieved) the force is less than 25 pounds.

After any desired pitch has been achieved, the timpanist may wish tomake slightadjustments by turning the fine-tuning wheel 36andthus rod 37in order to pivot lever 56 and change, the position of pull bar 28 byslight amounts as described above.

As indicated heretofore, one feature of the present apparatus is thatthe increase in foot pressure which occurs when the timpanist pivotsfrom the low-pitch position of FIG. 3 toward the high-pitch position ofFIG. 4 is that the timpanist may feel when he is approximately at aposition achieving a desired pitch. The pivotal movement of the pedalis, however, simple and relatively free of requirements for exertion.Because the pedal will remain in any position to which the timpanistpivots it, throughout at least a full octave range of operation, andbecause the timpanist need only pivot Stated more definitely, thetimpanist normally achieves a higher-pitched note by pressingdownwardly, with his toe, on the portion of pedal 26 to the left (FIGS.3 and 4) of pivot pin 40. Conversely, the timpanist normally achieves alower-pitched note by pressing downwardly, with his heel, on the pedalportion to the right (FIGS. 3 and 4) of pin 40.

As indicated above, only a relatively small pedal pressure is requiredto move from any tone to the next tone in the octave range. Relativelyeven increments of pedal advance are required to change from one tone tothe next, there being no hair trigger operation as stated above.

As stated above, an important disadvantage of various prior-art timpaniis that the tuning mechanisms thereof were not very fast-acting. Thepresent mechanism is extremely fast-acting, particularly since no brakeor clutch need be released in order to permit pitch adjustment ineither'direction from one tone to the next.

Suitable stop means may be provided for the pedal 26. Thus, in FIG. 4the outer ends of the sides of frame 21 are shown as cut off at 45angles in order to seat the underside of the pedal 26 when it is in itsFIG. 3 position. The upper edges of such plates stop the pedal in itsFIG. 4' position.

What is claimed is:

l. A tuning apparatus for the drumhead of a kettledrum, which comprises:

a foot pedal adapted to be engaged by the timpanist and operatedthereby,

means to pivotally mount said foot pedal for pivotal movement about apredetermined horizontal axis, said pivotal mounting means being locatedsufficiently far from the vertical axis of the kettledrum .that one partof said foot pedal is between said horizontal axis and said verticalaxis, another part of said foot pedal being located on the side of saidhorizontal axis remote from said vertical axis, whereby said one part ofsaid foot pedal is disposed to be depressed by the toe portion of thefoot of the timpanist in order to pivot said foot pedal in one directionabout said horizontal axis, and whereby said other part of said footpedal is disposed to be depressed by the heel portion of the foot of thetimpanist in order to pivot said foot pedal in the opposite directionabout said horizontal axis, connector means connected to the drumhead ofthe kettledrum and adapted when moved to change the tension of saiddrumhead and thus the tuning thereof, linkage meansto connect saidconnector means with said foot pedal for actuation thereby in order tochange said tuning, said linkage means including pivotally-mountedmaster means connected to said connector means and also to said footpedal, said master means being adapted to pivot sufficiently far thatthe pitch of said drumhead will change at least one full octave inresponse to a single pivotal movement of said foot pedal about saidpredetermined horizontal axis, means to increase the friction naturallypresent in the system, and

counterbalancing spring means connected to said master means and sorelated thereto and to said drumhead as to counterbalance generally thetension of said drumhead over a range of pitches of at least said onefull octave, said spring means being adapted in combination with saidfriction-increasing means to effect said counterbalancing without anyrequirement for adjustment of the setting of said spring means over saidentire range, said spring means counterbalancing the tension of saiddrumhead sufficiently closely, over said full octave range, that saidfoot pedal will remain stationary in any position due to only thefriction naturally present in the system, combined with the frictioncreated by said friction-increasing means, and in the absence of anybrake devices which are released in order to permit shifting of saidfoot pedal in at least one direction from one position to another, saidspring'means counterbalancing the tension of said drumhead sufficientlyclosely over said full octave range, andsaid friction-increasing meansbeing sufficiently weak,-that a foot pressure on said foot pedal of lessthan 25 pounds will effect changing of the pitch of said drumhead fromany pitch within said full octave to any-other pitch therein, saidspring means being connected to said master means at such location thatthe force line of said spring means remains a substantial distance fromthe pivot axis of said master means at all times during operation of thetuning apparatus and during playing of the kettledrum.

2. The invention as claimed in claim 1, in which saidfriction-increasing means comprises friction ,drag means associated withsaid linkage means to increase the friction naturally present in thesystem and thereby frictionally maintain said foot pedal stationary atany set position within said octave range,said friction drag meansmaintaining a substantially constant friction drag at all times,both-during playing of the'kettledrum and during operation of said footpedal to change the pitch of said drumhead, and in the absence of anyreleasing means which release the friction drag in order to permitshifting of said foot pedal in at least one direction from one positionto another.

3. The invention as claimed in claim 1, in which said linkage means isso related to said counterbalancing spring means and to said drumheadthat, in the absence of friction, said foot pedal tends to pivot from aposition producing the lowest pitch in said octave to a positionproducing anintermediate pitch therein, and also tends to pivot from aposition producing the highest pitch in said octave to a positionproducing an intermediate pitch therein.

4. A tuning apparatus for the drumhead of a kettledrum, which comprises:

a master element mounted for pivotal movement about a predeterminedaxis,

said master element being adapted to be manually operated by thetimpanist in order to pivot said master element to different angularpositions and thus effect tuning of the drumhead,

said manual operation of said master element being effected by directengagement between the timpanist and an operating element which isconnected to said master element, said master element being free topivot sufficiently far about said predetermined axis that, when saidmaster-element is connected to the drumhead, the pitch of said drumheadmay be changed through a range of one full octave in response to asinglev pivoting of said master element, f drumhead-connector means toconnect said master element to the drumhead of the kettledrum in suchmanner that said drumhead istuned to produce differently pitched'tonesin response to pivoting of said master elementto said different angularpositions, means to increase the fri system, and t counterbalancingspring means connected to said master element to counterbalancegenerally the force exerted thereon by said drumhead acting through saiddrumhead-connector means, saidspringlmeans and said drumhead-connectormeans being so related to each other and tosaid drumhead that the torquecreated about said axis by said spring means generally counterbalancesthe torque created about said axis by said drumhead-connector means overa range of tion naturally present in the pitches of said drumhead of atleast said one full octave, t said spring means counterbalancing thetension of said drumhead sufficiently closely, over said full octaverange, that said master element will remain stationary in any positiondue, to only the friction naturally present in the system, combined withthe friction created by said frictionincreasing'means, and'in theabsence of any brake devices which are released when it is desired toshift said master element from one position to another, 7 said springmeans counterbalancing the tension of said drumhead sufficiently closelyover said full octave range, and said friction-increasing means beingsufficiently weak,that a pressureon said operating element of less than25 pounds will effect changing of the pitch of said drumhead fromany'pitch within said full octave to any other pitch therein, saidspring means being connected to said master element at such locationthat the force line of said spring means remains a substantial distancefrom the pivot axis of said master element at all times during operationof the tuning apparatus and during playing of the kettledrum.

5. The invention as claimed in claim 4, in which saidfriction-increasing means comprises friction drag means to increasevthefriction naturally present in the system and thereby frictionallymaintain said master element stationary at any angular position to whichit is LL drag means being nonreleasable during playing andtuning-changing operation of the kettledrum.

6. The invention as claimed in claim 4, in which said spring meanscomprises helical compression spring means which is relatively relaxedwhen said master element is in a position achievingthe extreme upperpitch of said range, and relatively compressed when said master elementis in a position achieving the extreme lower pitch of said range,

7. The invention as claimed in claim 4, in which the torque arm relativeto said axis of the force exerted by said spring means on said masterelement is generally equal to the torque arm relative to said axis ofthe force exerted thereon by said drumhead-connector means whensaidmaster element is in a position producing the lowest-pitched sound insaid octave range.

8. The invention as claimed in claim 4, in which the torque arm relativeto said axis of the force-exerted by said spring means on said masterelement is much greater than is the torque arm relative to said axis ofthe force exerted thereon by said drumhead-connector means when saidmaster element is in a position producing the highest-pitched sound insaid octave range, and in which. the torque arm relative to said axis ofthe force exerted by said spring means on said master element isgenerally equal to the torque arm relative to said axis of the forceexerted thereon by said drumhead-connector means when said masterelement is in a position producing the lowest-pitch'ed sound in saidoctave range. I 9. The invention as claimed in claim 8, in which saidspring means comprises helical compression spring means which isrelatively relaxed when said masterelement is in a position producingthe highest-pitched sound in said range, and relatively compressed whensaid master element is in a position producing the lowest-pitched soundtherein.

10. The invention as claimed in claim 4, in which said master element isoperated by a foot pedal, and in which said master element is part of alinkage means so constructed and so related to said foot pedal thatshift-- ing of said foot pedal-by a predetermined'amount effects only arelatively small change in the tension on said drumhead when said masterelement is in a position producing tuning of said drumhead to a pitchnear the lowest end of said range, and shifting of said foot pedal bysaid predetermined amount effects a substantially larger change in thetension on said drumhead when said master element is in a positionproducing a relatively high-pitched condition in said drumhead, wherebyto permit the timpanist to change to adjacent pitches throughout theentire range by shifting said foot pedal substantially equal amounts.

11. A tuning apparatus for the drumhead of a kettledrum, whichcomprises:

a master element mounted for pivotal movement about a predeterminedaxis, said master element being adapted to be manually operated by thetimpanist in order to pivot said master element to different angularpositions and thus effect tuning of the drumhead, said manual operationof said master element being effected by direct engagement between thetimpanist and an operating element which is connected to said masterelement,

drumhead-connector means to connect said master element to the drumheadof the kettledrum in such manner that said drumhead is tuned to producedifferently pitched tones in response to pivoting of said master elementto said different angular positions, I means to increase the frictionnaturally present in the system, and counterbalancing spring meansconnected to said master element to counterbalance generally the forceexerted thereon by said drumhead acting through said drumhead-connectormeans, said spring means and said drumhead-connector means being sorelated to each other and to said drumhead that the torque created aboutsaid axis by said spring means generally counterbalances the torquecreated about said axis by said drumhead-connector means over a range ofpitches of said drumhead of at least one full octave, said spring meanscounterbalancing the'tension of said drumhead sufficiently closely, oversaid full octave .range, that said master element will remain stationaryin any position due to only the friction naturally present in thesystem, combined with the friction created by said frictionincreasingmeans, and in the absence of any brake devices which are released whenit is desired to shift said master element from one position to another,said spring means counterbalancing the tension of said drumheadsufficiently closely over said full octave range, and saidfriction-increasing means being sufficiently weak, that a pressure onsaid operating element of less than 25 pounds will effect changing ofthe pitch of said drumhead from any pitch within said full octave to anyother pitch therein, in which the torque arm relative to said axis ofthe force exerted on said master element by said drumhead-connectormeans changes by a substantial amount during pivoting of said masterelement to achieve the extreme upper and lower pitches of said range,

said torque arm decreasing in length as said master element pivotstoward a position producing a relatively high-pitched sound, saidsubstantial amount being a factor of at least 1.5. v 12. A tuningapparatus for the drumhead of a kettledrum, which comprises:

a master element mounted for pivotal movement about a predeterminedaxis, said master element being adapted to be manually operated by thetimpanist in order to pivot said master element to different angularpositions and thus effect tuning of the drumhead, said manual operationof said master element being effected by direct engagement between thetimpanist and an operating element which is connected to said masterelement, drumhead-connector means to connect said master element to thedrumhead of the kettledrum in such manner that said drumhead is tuned toproduce differently pitched tones in response to pivoting of I 20 g 7said master element to said different angular positions, 7 means toincrease the friction naturally present in the system, and

counterbalancing spring means connected to said master element tocounterbalance generally the force exerted thereon by said drumheadacting through said drumhead-connector means,

-. said spring means and said drumhead-connector means being so relatedto each other and to said drumhead that the torque created about saidaxis by said spring means generally counterbalances the-torque createdabout said axis by said drumhead-connector means over a range of pitchesof said drumhead of at least one full octave, I

said spring means counterbalancing the tension of said drumheadsufficiently closely, over said full octave range, that said masterelement will remain stationary in any position due to only the frictionnaturally present in the system, combined with the friction created bysaid directionincreasing means, and in the absence of any brake deviceswhich are released when it is desired to shift said master element fromone position to another, said spring means counterbalancing the tensionof said drumhead sufficiently closely over said full octave range, andsaid friction-increasing means being sufficiently weak, that a pressureon said operating element of less than 25 pounds will effect changing ofthe pitch of said drumhead from any pitch within said full octave to anyother'pitch therein, in which the torque arm relative to said axis ofthe force exerted by said spring means on said master element is muchgreater than is the torque arm relative to said axis of the forceexerted thereon by said drumhead-connector means when said masterelement is in a position producing thehighest-pitched sound in saidoctave range, a said first-mentioned torque arm being then greater thansaid second-mentioned torque arm by a factor of about 2 or more.

13. A kettledrum adapted to permit the timpanist to hold any desiredtuned condition over a very wide range of pitches, and in the absence ofany locking means, which comprises:

bowl means,

a drumhead mounted over said bowl means for striking by mallets in orderto produce drum sounds, an actuating element adapted to be manuallyadjusted to different positions by the timpanist in order to change thetuning of said drumhead,

connector means to connect said actuating element to said drumhead tocause the tuning of said drumhead to change in response to the positionof said actuating element,

counterbalancing means associated with said connector means to generallycounterbalance the tension of said drumhead and thus permit thetimpanist to achieve differently-tensioned conditions of said drumheadthrough exertion of only a small force on said actuating element, and

friction drag means to augment the friction naturally present in saidconnector means,-and beneath said drumhead,,sufficiently thatsaidactuating element will remain in any position to'which it is set bythe timpanist over a Wide range of drumhead pitches, said friction dragmeans maintaining a substantially constant friction drag at all timesduring playingof the kettledrum and also prior to, during and afteradjustment of said actuating ele ment to different positions to changethe tuning of said drumhead, and operating in the absence of any meansfor diminishing the friction drag not only during such playing but alsoprior to, during and after adjustment of said actuating element todifferent positions to change the tuning of said drumhead, said frictiondrag means cooperating with said counterbalancing meansto bring allforces into full equilibrium over said range of pitches and thus preventmovements of saidactuating element other than those movementsintentionally effected by the tirnpanist.

Q 14. The invention as claimed in claim 13, in which said range ofpitches is one octave or greater.

15. The invention asclaimed in claim 13, in which said friction dragmeans includesa friction-generating shoe formed of relatively softmaterial, and means to force said shoe against a movable portion of saidconnector means to create a drag thereon, said means to force said shoeagainst a movable portion of said connector means operating at all timesduring playing of the kettledrum and also operating prior to, during andafter adjustment of said actuating element to different positions tochange the tuning of said drumhead.

16. The invention as claimed in claim 13, in which said actuatingelement is a foot pedal, in which means including a plate are providedto pivotally mount said foot pedal on a frame, and in which saidfriction drag means includes means mounted on said frame to force afriction drag shoe continuously against said plate.

17. The invention as claimed in claim 13, inwhich said counterbalancingmeans is a spring means the force of which is adapted to balance thetension of said drumhead over an intermediate range of drumhead pitcheswithin said wide range thereof, said spring means being sufficientlystrong to overcome said drumhead tension sufficiently to tend to raisethe pitch of said drumhead from the lowest-pitchedpart of said widerange of drumhead pitches, said spring means being sufficiently weakthat said drumhead will tend to lower in pitch from the highest-pitchedpart of said wide range of drumhead pitches, whereby said friction dragmeans creates a drag in one direction when said drumhead is in saidhighest-pitched part of said wide range, and in the opposite directionwhen said drumhead is in said lowest-pitched part of said wide range,

so that said drag means need not exert a great drag erted by said dragmeans being sufficiently small that a force of less than 25 pounds onsaid actuating element will change the tension on said drumhead toproduce any desired pitch in said wide range of drumhead pitches. i

19. A kettledrum,which comprises:

a bowl,

a drumhead mounted over said bowl in tensioned condition,

a pedal pivotally mounted generally beneath said bowl and to one sidethereof, connector means including a linkage'to connect said pedal tosaid drumhead to thus change the tuning of said drumhead in response topivoting of said pedal, said linkage including a master link pivotallymounted for movement about a first predetermined axis, I said linkagefurther including an output link mounted for pivotal movement about a.second predetermined axis, said second axis being much closer to saidpedal than is said firstaxis, saidlinkage further including anintermediate link one end of which is pivotally connected to said masterlink at a point below said first axis, the other end 'of saidintermediate link being pivotally connected at a point above said firstaxis to an end of said output link which is much farther from said pedalthan is said second axis, said connector means also including upwardlyextending means the lower end of which is pivoted to said output linkand the upper end of which is 6 connected to said drumhead, andelongated helical spring means one end of which is .pivotally connectedto said master link and the other end of which is pivotally mounted formovement about a third predetermined axis, said spring means .beingadapted to counteract generally the force exerted on said master link bysaid drumhead. 20. The invention'as claimed in claim 19,- in which astraight line through the pivot connections at the ends of saidintermediate link is spaced a substantial distance from said first axison the side thereof remote from said pedal throughout the range ofmovement of said linkage, in which said spring means is pivotallyconnected to said master link beneath said first axis, in which saidthird axis is located relatively adjacent said pedal, and in which" astraight line through the pivot connectors for said spring means is asubstantial distance from said first axis throughout the range ofmovement of said linkage, and is on the side of said first axis opposingmovement of said master link by said intermediate link.

21. The invention as claimed in claim 20, in which said spring means isa helical compression spring which is relatively compressed when saidmaster link is in a position causing a low-pitched condition of saiddrumhead, and is in a relatively extended but preloaded condition whensaid master link is in a position causing a high-pitched condition ofsaid drumhead.

22. The invention as claimed in claim 19, in which said second axis isformed at one part of a lever which is pivotally mounted for movementabout a predetermined fulcrum, in which said lever extends toward saidpedal from said second axis, and in which tine-tuning means are mountedabove said pedal to pivot said lever and thus adjust the position ofsaid second axis in order to achieve fine tuning of the drumhead.

23. The invention as claimed in claim 19, in which said connector meansalso includes a link connected between said master link and said pedal,the radius from the pedal-pivot connection for said link to the axis ofrotation of said pedal being generally horizontal when said pedal is inan upwardly pivoted position producing a low-pitched condition in saiddrumhead, whereby to cause minimum operation of said linkage duringinitial downward pivoting of said 'pedal to thus spread the drumheadpitches at the lower end of the pitch range.

24. A tuning apparatus for the drumhead of a kettledrum, whichcomprises: I

a foot pedal adapted to be engaged by the timpanist and operatedthereby,

means connected to the drumhead of the kettledrum and adapted when movedto change the tensionof said drumhead and thus the tuning thereof,

linkage means to connect said last-named means with said foot pedal foractuation thereby in order to change said tuning,

counterbalancing spring means connected to said linkage means and sorelated thereto and to said drumhead as to counterbalance generally thetension of said drumhead over a wide range of tuning,

said spring means being adapted to effect said counterbalancing withoutany requirement for adjustment of the setting of said spring means oversaid range,

said spring means counterbalancing the tension of said drumheadsufficiently closely, over said range, that said foot pedal will remainstationary in any position due to friction only and in the absence ofany brake devices which are released in order to permit shifting of saidfoot pedal in at least one direction from one position to another, and tfriction drag means associated with said linkage means to increase thefriction naturally present in the system to thereby frictionallymaintain said foot pedal stationary at any set position within saidrange,

said friction drag means maintaining a substantially constant frictiondrag at all times, both during playing of the-kettledrum and duringintentional operation of said foot pedal by the timpanist to change thetuning of said drumhead, and in the absence of any releasing means whichrelease the friction drag in order to permit shifting of said foot pedalin at least one direction from one position to another.

25. A foot-pedal tuned kettledrum adapted to be very rapidly tuned toany note within a wide pitch range, without the necessity of releasingany brake or clutch device in either direction of pitch changing, whichkettledrum comprises:

a bowl having a head stretched thereover,

upwardly-extending means connected at the upper end thereof to saidhead,

a foot pedal,

means to pivotally mount said pedal for movement about a horizontalaxis,

linkage means connecting said foot pedal to said upwardly-extendingmeans, and I spring means associated with said linkage means togenerally counterbalance thetension of said head throughout a wide rangeof pitches and operating in the absence of any devices which everrequire releasing in order to permit movement of said pedal, 7

said spring means and linkage means being so related to each other andto said head and'said pedal that, when said head is tuned .to thehighest pitch in said range said pedal will in the absence of frictionpivot aboutsaid horizontal axis in a direction lowering the pitch ofsaid head,

said spring means and linkage means also being so related to each otherand to said head and said pedal that, when saidhead is tuned to thelowest pitch in said range said pedal will in the absence of frictionpivot about said horizontal axis in a direction raising the pitch ofsaid head. 26. .The invention as claimed in claim 25, in which dragmeans are provided to create sufficient friction in said kettledrum thatsaid pedal will remain stationary in any position creating any pitchwithin said range despite the tendency of said pedal to pivot in apitchlowering direction fromthe highest-pitched tuning, and in apitch-raising direction from the lowest-pitched tunmg.

27. The invention as claimed in claim 26, in which said drag meanscomprises continuously-operating friction drag shoe means.

28. The invention as claimed in claim 27, in which said linkage meansincludes master means and further includes means to effect pivotalmounting of said master means for pivotal movement about a horizontalaxis, and in which said spring means is connected to pivotal said mastermeans at a position such that the line of force of said spring means isspaced at all times a substantial distance from said horizontal axis ofsaid master means.

29 A foot pedal mechanism for tuning the drumhead of a kettledrumthroughout a wide range of pitches, which comprises:

frame means mounted beneath the bowl of a kettledrum, a foot pedalpivotally mounted on said frame means to one side of said bowl forpivotal movement about a horizontal axis, vertical means adapted to beconnected to the drumhead of said kettledrum, first and secondinterconnected four-bar linkages mounted in said frame means to connectsaid foot pedal to said vertical means and thus effect tuning of saiddrumhead to different pitches in response to pivoting of said pedal,said first four-bar linkage comprising a radius link extending to thepivot axis of said pedal, a master link pivotally connected to saidframe means, a connector link extending between said radius link andsaid master link, and said frame means,

said second four-bar linkage comprising said master link, an output linkpivotally connected fi spring-compensated linkage means to connect saidfoot pedal to said drumhead in such manner that pivoting of said pedalthrough relatively even increments effects changing of the pitch of saiddrumhead from one pitch to the next throughout a wide range of pitches,

said linkage means including a long and generally horizontal link whichis connected through a second link to said horizontal axis, said secondlink being generally horizontal when to said frame means, anintermediate link pivoted between said master link and said output link,and said frame means, said output link being connected to said verticalmeans, 5 fine-tuning means provided to adjust the position of the pivotconnection at which said output link is connected to said frame means, I

said fine-tuning means comprising a lever one end of which is pivotallyconnected to said output link, fulcrum means to pivot said lever to saidframe means at a point adjacent the pivot connectionbetween said leverand said output link, and an elongated rod threaded to said lever at asaid pedal is in a pivoted position producing a low-pitch condition ,ofsaid drumhead, whereby there is a high mechanical advantage tending tospread out the positions at the low point thereon remote from saidfulcrum means of the range, thereby preventif'lg p f" and on theopposite side of said fulcrum means "9 at the low end of the range m ahall" from said pivot connection between said lever mgger mallnel' suchthat a y 1 amollflt and id li of pedal pivoting changes the pitch ofsaid said rod extending upwardly above said pedal drumhead n to thenextfor rotation by the timpanist, and A kettledl'um, Whlch comprlseslbowl means, a drumhead mounted over said bowl means for striking bymallets in order to produce drum sounds, a foot pedal mounted generallybeneath said bowl means for pivotal movement abouta substantiallyhorizontal axis,

counterbalancing spring means connected to at least one of said linkagesto balance generally the tension exerted thereon by said drumhead. 30. Afoot-operated tuning mechanism for a kettledrum, whichcomprises:

a foot pedal adapted to pivot about a horizontal axis,

said foot pedal having a portion on one side of said axis adapted to bepressed downwardly by the said foot pedal having a portion adapted to beengaged by the toe portion of the foot of the timtoe portion of the footof the timpanist when it is panist' and desired to raise the pitch ofthe drumhead, I linkage means to connect Sald foot pedal to d said'footpedal having a portion on the other side P P i r of Said axis adapted tobe pressed downwardly said linkage means being related to said drumheadby the heel portion of the timpanist when it is and to sand foot pedalSuch manneir that desired to lower the pitch of the drumhead, anddownwarfi movem em of pedal W efspring-compensated linkage means toconnect said fects Increase m the sa1d dmm' foot pedal to said drumheadin such manner that head with consequent elevation m pltch 9 pivoting ofsaid pedal vthrough relatively even the drum sounds produced uponstriking of said crements effects changing of the pitch of said fdrumhead from one pitch to the next thioughout a said linkage meansbeing related to said drumhead wide range of pitches 40 and to said footpedal in such manner that an exsaid linkage means including a long andgenerally Fremely high mecbamcal l f lelauonshlp horizontal link whichis connected through a ls presemwhen 'd pedal porno 1S m us Second linkto said horizontal axis most position corresponding to the lowest pitchsaid second link being generally horizontal when of sald Frumhead, 1

Said-pedal is in a pivoted position producing a said high mechanicaladvantage relationship low-pitch condition of said drumhead, being suchthat a substantial amount of whereby there is a high mechanicaladvantage dowflwaltd pwofal movement pedal tending to spread out thepositions at the low porno reqmrFd to Sh'ft sald (Pinhead d o the gthereby preventing Opel? from the lowest pitch thereof to the pitch onetion at the low end of the range in a hair- R" trigger manner such thata very small amount whereby there i no relallonshlp of pedal pivotingchanges the pitch of said b etween FP drumhead drumhead from one tone tothe next pivoted position of said pedal when said pedal 31. Afoot-operated tuning mechanism for a ketpos'tlons correspondmg to atleast the tledrum which comprises: g two lowest-pitched tones generatedby the Q a foot pedal adapted to pivot about a horizontal axis,kettledrum' and I Y a 12%? I V'EINETEEZ STATES'PAEENT @FFEQE v QER C WQQRREWWN PatentfNo. 3, 701 8.34 V Dated October 31, 1972 InvehtoflS)Alfred Rubic- If: is cel 'tified that erro'r 'appears in theabove-identified paten and that said Letter s Patentr are herebycorrected as shown below:

Line 38 of claim cancl' "di e i and Substitute --frict i or 1 k I Signedand sealed; this 29th day of 1973 1 (SEAL) Attestz QEDWARDM'.PLETCHER',JRQ. y ROBERT GOTTSCHALK' I Attest ing OfficerCommissionerv of Patents I T 1 QJEJRTEEFI EATEL @51 Patent No. 3, 701,83 1 Dated October 31, 1972 Inventofls) Alfred M. Rubio It is certifiedthat error appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown' below:

Line 38 of claim 12, cancel "direction" and substitute "friction Signedand sealed this 29th day of May 1973 (SEAL) Attesti I EDWARDM.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner ofPatents

1. A tuning apparatus for the drumhead of a kettledrum, which comprises:a foot pedal adapted to be engaged by the timpanist and operatedthereby, means to pivotally mount said foot pedal for pivotal movementabout a predetermined horizontal axis, said pivotal mounting means beinglocated sufficiently far from the vertical axis of the kettledrum thatone part of said foot pedal is between said horizontal axis and saidvertical axis, another part of said foot pedal being located on the sideof said horizontal axis remote from said vertical axis, whereby said onepart of said foot pedal is disposed to be depressed by the toe portionof the foot of the timpanist in order to pivot said foot pedal in onedirection about said horizontal axis, and whereby said other part ofsaid foot pedal is disposed to be depressed by the heel portion of thefoot of the timpanist in order to pivot said foot pedal in the oppositedirection about said horizontal axis, connector means connected to thedrumhead of the kettledrum and adapted when moved to change the tensionof said drumhead and thus the tuning thereof, linkage means to connectsaid connector means with said foot pedal for actuation thereby in orderto change said tuning, said linkage means including pivotally-mountedmaster means connected to said connector means and also to said footpedal, said master means being adapted to pivot sufficiently far thatthe pitch of said drumhead will change at least one full octave inresponse to a single pivotal movement of said foot pedal about saidpredetermined horizontal axis, means to increase the friction naturallypresent in the system, and counterbalancing spring means connected tosaid master means and so related thereto and to said drumhead as tocounterbalance generally the tension of said drumhead over a range ofpitches of at least said one full octave, said spring means beingadapted in combination with said friction-increasing means to effectsaid counterbalancing without any requirement for adjustment of thesetting of said spring means over said entire range, saiD spring meanscounterbalancing the tension of said drumhead sufficiently closely, oversaid full octave range, that said foot pedal will remain stationary inany position due to only the friction naturally present in the system,combined with the friction created by said friction-increasing means,and in the absence of any brake devices which are released in order topermit shifting of said foot pedal in at least one direction from oneposition to another, said spring means counterbalancing the tension ofsaid drumhead sufficiently closely over said full octave range, and saidfriction-increasing means being sufficiently weak, that a foot pressureon said foot pedal of less than 25 pounds will effect changing of thepitch of said drumhead from any pitch within said full octave to anyother pitch therein, said spring means being connected to said mastermeans at such location that the force line of said spring means remainsa substantial distance from the pivot axis of said master means at alltimes during operation of the tuning apparatus and during playing of thekettledrum.
 2. The invention as claimed in claim 1, in which saidfriction-increasing means comprises friction drag means associated withsaid linkage means to increase the friction naturally present in thesystem and thereby frictionally maintain said foot pedal stationary atany set position within said octave range, said friction drag meansmaintaining a substantially constant friction drag at all times, bothduring playing of the kettledrum and during operation of said foot pedalto change the pitch of said drumhead, and in the absence of anyreleasing means which release the friction drag in order to permitshifting of said foot pedal in at least one direction from one positionto another.
 3. The invention as claimed in claim 1, in which saidlinkage means is so related to said counterbalancing spring means and tosaid drumhead that, in the absence of friction, said foot pedal tends topivot from a position producing the lowest pitch in said octave to aposition producing an intermediate pitch therein, and also tends topivot from a position producing the highest pitch in said octave to aposition producing an intermediate pitch therein.
 4. A tuning apparatusfor the drumhead of a kettledrum, which comprises: a master elementmounted for pivotal movement about a predetermined axis, said masterelement being adapted to be manually operated by the timpanist in orderto pivot said master element to different angular positions and thuseffect tuning of the drumhead, said manual operation of said masterelement being effected by direct engagement between the timpanist and anoperating element which is connected to said master element, said masterelement being free to pivot sufficiently far about said predeterminedaxis that, when said master element is connected to the drumhead, thepitch of said drumhead may be changed through a range of one full octavein response to a single pivoting of said master element,drumhead-connector means to connect said master element to the drumheadof the kettledrum in such manner that said drumhead is tuned to producedifferently pitched tones in response to pivoting of said master elementto said different angular positions, means to increase the frictionnaturally present in the system, and counterbalancing spring meansconnected to said master element to counterbalance generally the forceexerted thereon by said drumhead acting through said drumhead-connectormeans, said spring means and said drumhead-connector means being sorelated to each other and to said drumhead that the torque created aboutsaid axis by said spring means generally counterbalances the torquecreated about said axis by said drumhead-connector means over a range ofpitches of said drumhead of at least said one full octave, said springmeans counterbalancing the tension of said drumhead sufficientlyclosely, over said full octave range, that said masteR element willremain stationary in any position due to only the friction naturallypresent in the system, combined with the friction created by saidfriction-increasing means, and in the absence of any brake devices whichare released when it is desired to shift said master element from oneposition to another, said spring means counterbalancing the tension ofsaid drumhead sufficiently closely over said full octave range, and saidfriction-increasing means being sufficiently weak, that a pressure onsaid operating element of less than 25 pounds will effect changing ofthe pitch of said drumhead from any pitch within said full octave to anyother pitch therein, said spring means being connected to said masterelement at such location that the force line of said spring meansremains a substantial distance from the pivot axis of said masterelement at all times during operation of the tuning apparatus and duringplaying of the kettledrum.
 5. The invention as claimed in claim 4, inwhich said friction-increasing means comprises friction drag means toincrease the friction naturally present in the system and therebyfrictionally maintain said master element stationary at any angularposition to which it is set by the timpanist within said octave range,said friction drag means maintaining a substantially constant frictiondrag at all times during playing of the kettledrum, and also duringshifting of said master element to change the tuning of said drumhead,said friction drag means being nonreleasable during playing andtuning-changing operation of the kettledrum.
 6. The invention as claimedin claim 4, in which said spring means comprises helical compressionspring means which is relatively relaxed when said master element is ina position achieving the extreme upper pitch of said range, andrelatively compressed when said master element is in a positionachieving the extreme lower pitch of said range.
 7. The invention asclaimed in claim 4, in which the torque arm relative to said axis of theforce exerted by said spring means on said master element is generallyequal to the torque arm relative to said axis of the force exertedthereon by said drumhead-connector means when said master element is ina position producing the lowest-pitched sound in said octave range. 8.The invention as claimed in claim 4, in which the torque arm relative tosaid axis of the force exerted by said spring means on said masterelement is much greater than is the torque arm relative to said axis ofthe force exerted thereon by said drumhead-connector means when saidmaster element is in a position producing the highest-pitched sound insaid octave range, and in which the torque arm relative to said axis ofthe force exerted by said spring means on said master element isgenerally equal to the torque arm relative to said axis of the forceexerted thereon by said drumhead-connector means when said masterelement is in a position producing the lowest-pitched sound in saidoctave range.
 9. The invention as claimed in claim 8, in which saidspring means comprises helical compression spring means which isrelatively relaxed when said master element is in a position producingthe highest-pitched sound in said range, and relatively compressed whensaid master element is in a position producing the lowest-pitched soundtherein.
 10. The invention as claimed in claim 4, in which said masterelement is operated by a foot pedal, and in which said master element ispart of a linkage means so constructed and so related to said foot pedalthat shifting of said foot pedal by a predetermined amount effects onlya relatively small change in the tension on said drumhead when saidmaster element is in a position producing tuning of said drumhead to apitch near the lowest end of said range, and shifting of said foot pedalby said predetermined amount effects a substantially larger change inthe tension on said drumhead when said master element is in a positionproducing a relatively high-pitChed condition in said drumhead, wherebyto permit the timpanist to change to adjacent pitches throughout theentire range by shifting said foot pedal substantially equal amounts.11. A tuning apparatus for the drumhead of a kettledrum, whichcomprises: a master element mounted for pivotal movement about apredetermined axis, said master element being adapted to be manuallyoperated by the timpanist in order to pivot said master element todifferent angular positions and thus effect tuning of the drumhead, saidmanual operation of said master element being effected by directengagement between the timpanist and an operating element which isconnected to said master element, drumhead-connector means to connectsaid master element to the drumhead of the kettledrum in such mannerthat said drumhead is tuned to produce differently pitched tones inresponse to pivoting of said master element to said different angularpositions, means to increase the friction naturally present in thesystem, and counterbalancing spring means connected to said masterelement to counterbalance generally the force exerted thereon by saiddrumhead acting through said drumhead-connector means, said spring meansand said drumhead-connector means being so related to each other and tosaid drumhead that the torque created about said axis by said springmeans generally counterbalances the torque created about said axis bysaid drumhead-connector means over a range of pitches of said drumheadof at least one full octave, said spring means counterbalancing thetension of said drumhead sufficiently closely, over said full octaverange, that said master element will remain stationary in any positiondue to only the friction naturally present in the system, combined withthe friction created by said friction-increasing means, and in theabsence of any brake devices which are released when it is desired toshift said master element from one position to another, said springmeans counterbalancing the tension of said drumhead sufficiently closelyover said full octave range, and said friction-increasing means beingsufficiently weak, that a pressure on said operating element of lessthan 25 pounds will effect changing of the pitch of said drumhead fromany pitch within said full octave to any other pitch therein, in whichthe torque arm relative to said axis of the force exerted on said masterelement by said drumhead-connector means changes by a substantial amountduring pivoting of said master element to achieve the extreme upper andlower pitches of said range, said torque arm decreasing in length assaid master element pivots toward a position producing a relativelyhigh-pitched sound, said substantial amount being a factor of at least1.5.
 12. A tuning apparatus for the drumhead of a kettledrum, whichcomprises: a master element mounted for pivotal movement about apredetermined axis, said master element being adapted to be manuallyoperated by the timpanist in order to pivot said master element todifferent angular positions and thus effect tuning of the drumhead, saidmanual operation of said master element being effected by directengagement between the timpanist and an operating element which isconnected to said master element, drumhead-connector means to connectsaid master element to the drumhead of the kettledrum in such mannerthat said drumhead is tuned to produce differently pitched tones inresponse to pivoting of said master element to said different angularpositions, means to increase the friction naturally present in thesystem, and counterbalancing spring means connected to said masterelement to counterbalance generally the force exerted thereon by saiddrumhead acting through said drumhead-connector means, said spring meansand said drumhead-connector means being so related to each other and tosaid drumhead that the torque created about said axis by said springmeans generally counterbalances thE torque created about said axis bysaid drumhead-connector means over a range of pitches of said drumheadof at least one full octave, said spring means counterbalancing thetension of said drumhead sufficiently closely, over said full octaverange, that said master element will remain stationary in any positiondue to only the friction naturally present in the system, combined withthe friction created by said friction-increasing means, and in theabsence of any brake devices which are released when it is desired toshift said master element from one position to another, said springmeans counterbalancing the tension of said drumhead sufficiently closelyover said full octave range, and said friction-increasing means beingsufficiently weak, that a pressure on said operating element of lessthan 25 pounds will effect changing of the pitch of said drumhead fromany pitch within said full octave to any other pitch therein, in whichthe torque arm relative to said axis of the force exerted by said springmeans on said master element is much greater than is the torque armrelative to said axis of the force exerted thereon by saiddrumhead-connector means when said master element is in a positionproducing the highest-pitched sound in said octave range, saidfirst-mentioned torque arm being then greater than said second-mentionedtorque arm by a factor of about 2 or more.
 13. A kettledrum adapted topermit the timpanist to hold any desired tuned condition over a verywide range of pitches, and in the absence of any locking means, whichcomprises: bowl means, a drumhead mounted over said bowl means forstriking by mallets in order to produce drum sounds, an actuatingelement adapted to be manually adjusted to different positions by thetimpanist in order to change the tuning of said drumhead, connectormeans to connect said actuating element to said drumhead to cause thetuning of said drumhead to change in response to the position of saidactuating element, counterbalancing means associated with said connectormeans to generally counterbalance the tension of said drumhead and thuspermit the timpanist to achieve differently-tensioned conditions of saiddrumhead through exertion of only a small force on said actuatingelement, and friction drag means to augment the friction naturallypresent in said connector means, and beneath said drumhead, sufficientlythat said actuating element will remain in any position to which it isset by the timpanist over a wide range of drumhead pitches, saidfriction drag means maintaining a substantially constant friction dragat all times during playing of the kettledrum and also prior to, duringand after adjustment of said actuating element to different positions tochange the tuning of said drumhead, and operating in the absence of anymeans for diminishing the friction drag not only during such playing butalso prior to, during and after adjustment of said actuating element todifferent positions to change the tuning of said drumhead, said frictiondrag means cooperating with said counterbalancing means to bring allforces into full equilibrium over said range of pitches and thus preventmovements of said actuating element other than those movementsintentionally effected by the timpanist.
 14. The invention as claimed inclaim 13, in which said range of pitches is one octave or greater. 15.The invention as claimed in claim 13, in which said friction drag meansincludes a friction-generating shoe formed of relatively soft material,and means to force said shoe against a movable portion of said connectormeans to create a drag thereon, said means to force said shoe against amovable portion of said connector means operating at all times duringplaying of the kettledrum and also operating prior to, during and afteradjustment of said actuating element to different positions to changethe tuning of said drumhead.
 16. The invention as claimed in claim 13,in which said actuating element is a foot pedal, in which meansincluding a plate are provided to pivotally mount said foot pedal on aframe, and in which said friction drag means includes means mounted onsaid frame to force a friction drag shoe continuously against saidplate.
 17. The invention as claimed in claim 13, in which saidcounterbalancing means is a spring means the force of which is adaptedto balance the tension of said drumhead over an intermediate range ofdrumhead pitches within said wide range thereof, said spring means beingsufficiently strong to overcome said drumhead tension sufficiently totend to raise the pitch of said drumhead from the lowest-pitched part ofsaid wide range of drumhead pitches, said spring means beingsufficiently weak that said drumhead will tend to lower in pitch fromthe highest-pitched part of said wide range of drumhead pitches, wherebysaid friction drag means creates a drag in one direction when saiddrumhead is in said highest-pitched part of said wide range, and in theopposite direction when said drumhead is in said lowest-pitched part ofsaid wide range, so that said drag means need not exert a great dragforce in order to maintain said actuating element stationary in anyposition.
 18. The invention as claimed in claim 17, in which said springmeans counterbalances the drumhead tension sufficiently closely oversaid entire wide range of drumhead pitches that the force exerted bysaid drag means need not be great in order to maintain said actuatingelement stationary as desired, said force exerted by said drag meansbeing sufficiently small that a force of less than 25 pounds on saidactuating element will change the tension on said drumhead to produceany desired pitch in said wide range of drumhead pitches.
 19. Akettledrum, which comprises: a bowl, a drumhead mounted over said bowlin tensioned condition, a pedal pivotally mounted generally beneath saidbowl and to one side thereof, connector means including a linkage toconnect said pedal to said drumhead to thus change the tuning of saiddrumhead in response to pivoting of said pedal, said linkage including amaster link pivotally mounted for movement about a first predeterminedaxis, said linkage further including an output link mounted for pivotalmovement about a second predetermined axis, said second axis being muchcloser to said pedal than is said first axis, said linkage furtherincluding an intermediate link one end of which is pivotally connectedto said master link at a point below said first axis, the other end ofsaid intermediate link being pivotally connected at a point above saidfirst axis to an end of said output link which is much farther from saidpedal than is said second axis, said connector means also includingupwardly extending means the lower end of which is pivoted to saidoutput link and the upper end of which is connected to said drumhead,and elongated helical spring means one end of which is pivotallyconnected to said master link and the other end of which is pivotallymounted for movement about a third predetermined axis, said spring meansbeing adapted to counteract generally the force exerted on said masterlink by said drumhead.
 20. The invention as claimed in claim 19, inwhich a straight line through the pivot connections at the ends of saidintermediate link is spaced a substantial distance from said first axison the side thereof remote from said pedal throughout the range ofmovement of said linkage, in which said spring means is pivotallyconnected to said master link beneath said first axis, in which saidthird axis is located relatively adjacent said pedal, and in which astraight line through the pivot connectors for said spring means is asubstantial distance from said first axis throughout the range ofmovement of said linkage, and is on the side of said first axis opposingmovement of said master link by said intermediate link.
 21. TheinventiOn as claimed in claim 20, in which said spring means is ahelical compression spring which is relatively compressed when saidmaster link is in a position causing a low-pitched condition of saiddrumhead, and is in a relatively extended but preloaded condition whensaid master link is in a position causing a high-pitched condition ofsaid drumhead.
 22. The invention as claimed in claim 19, in which saidsecond axis is formed at one part of a lever which is pivotally mountedfor movement about a predetermined fulcrum, in which said lever extendstoward said pedal from said second axis, and in which fine-tuning meansare mounted above said pedal to pivot said lever and thus adjust theposition of said second axis in order to achieve fine tuning of thedrumhead.
 23. The invention as claimed in claim 19, in which saidconnector means also includes a link connected between said master linkand said pedal, the radius from the pedal-pivot connection for said linkto the axis of rotation of said pedal being generally horizontal whensaid pedal is in an upwardly pivoted position producing a low-pitchedcondition in said drumhead, whereby to cause minimum operation of saidlinkage during initial downward pivoting of said pedal to thus spreadthe drumhead pitches at the lower end of the pitch range.
 24. A tuningapparatus for the drumhead of a kettledrum, which comprises: a footpedal adapted to be engaged by the timpanist and operated thereby, meansconnected to the drumhead of the kettledrum and adapted when moved tochange the tension of said drumhead and thus the tuning thereof, linkagemeans to connect said last-named means with said foot pedal foractuation thereby in order to change said tuning, counterbalancingspring means connected to said linkage means and so related thereto andto said drumhead as to counterbalance generally the tension of saiddrumhead over a wide range of tuning, said spring means being adapted toeffect said counterbalancing without any requirement for adjustment ofthe setting of said spring means over said range, said spring meanscounterbalancing the tension of said drumhead sufficiently closely, oversaid range, that said foot pedal will remain stationary in any positiondue to friction only and in the absence of any brake devices which arereleased in order to permit shifting of said foot pedal in at least onedirection from one position to another, and friction drag meansassociated with said linkage means to increase the friction naturallypresent in the system to thereby frictionally maintain said foot pedalstationary at any set position within said range, said friction dragmeans maintaining a substantially constant friction drag at all times,both during playing of the kettledrum and during intentional operationof said foot pedal by the timpanist to change the tuning of saiddrumhead, and in the absence of any releasing means which release thefriction drag in order to permit shifting of said foot pedal in at leastone direction from one position to another.
 25. A foot-pedal tunedkettledrum adapted to be very rapidly tuned to any note within a widepitch range, without the necessity of releasing any brake or clutchdevice in either direction of pitch changing, which kettledrumcomprises: a bowl having a head stretched thereover, upwardly-extendingmeans connected at the upper end thereof to said head, a foot pedal,means to pivotally mount said pedal for pivotal movement about ahorizontal axis, linkage means connecting said foot pedal to saidupwardly-extending means, and spring means associated with said linkagemeans to generally counterbalance the tension of said head throughout awide range of pitches and operating in the absence of any devices whichever require releasing in order to permit movement of said pedal, saidspring means and linkage means being so related to each other and tosaid head and said pedal that, when said head is tuned tO the highestpitch in said range said pedal will in the absence of friction pivotabout said horizontal axis in a direction lowering the pitch of saidhead, said spring means and linkage means also being so related to eachother and to said head and said pedal that, when said head is tuned tothe lowest pitch in said range said pedal will in the absence offriction pivot about said horizontal axis in a direction raising thepitch of said head.
 26. The invention as claimed in claim 25, in whichdrag means are provided to create sufficient friction in said kettledrumthat said pedal will remain stationary in any position creating anypitch within said range despite the tendency of said pedal to pivot in apitch-lowering direction from the highest-pitched tuning, and in apitch-raising direction from the lowest-pitched tuning.
 27. Theinvention as claimed in claim 26, in which said drag means comprisescontinuously-operating friction drag shoe means.
 28. The invention asclaimed in claim 27, in which said linkage means includes master meansand further includes means to effect pivotal mounting of said mastermeans for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis, and in which saidspring means is connected to said master means at a position such thatthe line of force of said spring means is spaced at all times asubstantial distance from said horizontal axis of said master means. 29.A foot pedal mechanism for tuning the drumhead of a kettledrumthroughout a wide range of pitches, which comprises: frame means mountedbeneath the bowl of a kettledrum, a foot pedal pivotally mounted on saidframe means to one side of said bowl for pivotal movement about ahorizontal axis, vertical means adapted to be connected to the drumheadof said kettledrum, first and second interconnected four-bar linkagesmounted in said frame means to connect said foot pedal to said verticalmeans and thus effect tuning of said drumhead to different pitches inresponse to pivoting of said pedal, said first four-bar linkagecomprising a radius link extending to the pivot axis of said pedal, amaster link pivotally connected to said frame means, a connector linkextending between said radius link and said master link, and said framemeans, said second four-bar linkage comprising said master link, anoutput link pivotally connected to said frame means, an intermediatelink pivoted between said master link and said output link, and saidframe means, said output link being connected to said vertical means,fine-tuning means provided to adjust the position of the pivotconnection at which said output link is connected to said frame means,said fine-tuning means comprising a lever one end of which is pivotallyconnected to said output link, fulcrum means to pivot said lever to saidframe means at a point adjacent the pivot connection between said leverand said output link, and an elongated rod threaded to said lever at apoint thereon remote from said fulcrum means and on the opposite side ofsaid fulcrum means from said pivot connection between said lever andsaid output link, said rod extending upwardly above said pedal forrotation by the timpanist, and counterbalancing spring means connectedto at least one of said linkages to balance generally the tensionexerted thereon by said drumhead.
 30. A foot-operated tuning mechanismfor a kettledrum, which comprises: a foot pedal adapted to pivot about ahorizontal axis, said foot pedal having a portion on one side of saidaxis adapted to be pressed downwardly by the toe portion of the foot ofthe timpanist when it is desired to raise the pitch of the drumhead,said foot pedal having a portion on the other side of said axis adaptedto be pressed downwardly by the heel portion of the timpanist when it isdesired to lower the pitch of the drumhead, and spring-compensatedlinkage means to connect said foot pedal to said drumhead in such mannerthat pivoting of said pedaL through relatively even increments effectschanging of the pitch of said drumhead from one pitch to the nextthroughout a wide range of pitches, said linkage means including a longand generally horizontal link which is connected through a second linkto said horizontal axis, said second link being generally horizontalwhen said pedal is in a pivoted position producing a low-pitch conditionof said drumhead, whereby there is a high mechanical advantage tendingto spread out the positions at the low end of the range, therebypreventing operation at the low end of the range in a hair-triggermanner such that a very small amount of pedal pivoting changes the pitchof said drumhead from one tone to the next.
 31. A foot-operated tuningmechanism for a kettledrum, which comprises: a foot pedal adapted topivot about a horizontal axis, and spring-compensated linkage means toconnect said foot pedal to said drumhead in such manner that pivoting ofsaid pedal through relatively even increments effects changing of thepitch of said drumhead from one pitch to the next throughout a widerange of pitches, said linkage means including a long and generallyhorizontal link which is connected through a second link to saidhorizontal axis, said second link being generally horizontal when saidpedal is in a pivoted position producing a low-pitch condition of saiddrumhead, whereby there is a high mechanical advantage tending to spreadout the positions at the low end of the range, thereby preventingoperation at the low end of the range in a hair-trigger manner such thata very small amount of pedal pivoting changes the pitch of said drumheadfrom one tone to the next.
 32. A kettledrum, which comprises: bowlmeans, a drumhead mounted over said bowl means for striking by malletsin order to produce drum sounds, a foot pedal mounted generally beneathsaid bowl means for pivotal movement about a substantially horizontalaxis, said foot pedal having a portion adapted to be engaged by the toeportion of the foot of the timpanist, and linkage means to connect saidfoot pedal to said drumhead, said linkage means being related to saiddrumhead and to said foot pedal in such manner that downward movement ofsaid pedal portion effects an increase in the tension of said drumhead,with consequent elevation in the pitch of the drum sounds produced uponstriking of said drumhead, said linkage means being related to saiddrumhead and to said foot pedal in such manner that an extremely highmechanical advantage relationship is present when said pedal portion isin its uppermost position corresponding to the lowest pitch of saiddrumhead, said high mechanical advantage relationship being such that asubstantial amount of downward pivotal movement of said pedal portion isrequired to shift said drumhead from the lowest pitch thereof to thepitch one tone above said lowest pitch, whereby there is no hair-triggerrelationship between the pitch of said drumhead and the pivoted positionof said pedal when said pedal is in positions corresponding to at leastthe two lowest-pitched tones generated by the kettledrum.